


It's not goodbye, it's just I'll see you soon

by playlike-agirl (playlikeagirl)



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-18
Updated: 2016-11-19
Packaged: 2018-08-31 17:37:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8587702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/playlikeagirl/pseuds/playlike-agirl
Summary: Ali and Ash say goodbye as Ash moves to start her new life in Orlando whilst Ali stays behind in D.C to play one last season with the Spirit.





	1. How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard

“Hey, hey baby look at me. Please Alex?” Ash crouches down to where Ali is sitting on the floor of their apartment in D.C, her head cradled in her hands, sobs wracking her entire body. Ash sits down next to her, the floor is hard and cold so she scoops Ali into her arms and carries her over to the couch, sitting them both down. Ali crawls onto Ash’s lap and buries her head into her neck and Ash’s arms circle around Ali’s back, her hands moving underneath her sweatshirt to rub soothing circles on her back.

“I know baby, I know,” Ash repeats, trying to stop the tears from falling herself, knowing that in an hour, when Ali drops her off at the airport she’s not going to be able to stop herself from crying.

“I can’t-I can’t do any of this without you Ash. I don’t want to,” Ali chokes out, her words muffled into the now damp collar of Ash’s t shirt. 

“Oh Alex, you can. You are so strong, you can do this without me. You’ve done it before, remember? We both have. Germany remember? And that was a continent, this is just a country.” Ash lifts Ali’s head up so their eyes meet. “And you are going to be able to do it because you’re the strongest woman I know. You’ve battled through so much and you’ve been such an important part of this team, and you’re going to lead them to the championship this season. I hate that I’m not going to be here with you, to play behind you, to cheer you on. But you know I’m going to be supporting you one hundred and fifty percent from Orlando. I’m going to Skype you every night, and text you every second of every day if that’s what it takes. You’ll be sick of me by the end of it, your battery won’t last an hour.”

Ali can’t help the small laugh that escapes her at Ash’s words, and she places a soft kiss to Ash’s neck. 

“It just feels like we’re saying goodbye and it feels too final, and every time I think about how you’re no longer going to be here, with me every morning, I can’t breathe and I start panicking. Ash, how am I going to be ok without you? How am I going to live here without you? It was our place, and everything is going to remind me of you, and make me want to hold you and kiss you and touch you and I’m not going to be able to. What am I going to do when I can’t sleep at night and trace your tattoos softly as you sleep next to me? I don’t want to drink my coffee by myself in the morning Ash. I don’t want to do any of it. I want to be with you.”

“Oh baby,” Ash whispers out, the tears running down her cheeks too. “You’ll be ok, I promise you. I don’t want to do any of this either, I can never sleep properly without your hair tickling me as you roll over to hog all the covers, but we have to. And it’s not for long.” Ash presses a soft kiss to Ali’s forehead. “It’s really not for long. One season, that’s all it is. One season. And I’ll be counting down the days, counting down the hours until I see you again, because that won’t be long either. There will be time for the two of us, and if there isn’t, I’ll make it. There will be home games and away games, and national camps. And you know you can call me whenever you can’t sleep, whenever you want to cry or break down, but only for a little while ok baby? Because then you’re going to get back up and back out there and kill it on the field like I know you can.”

Ali nods, her eyelashes tickling Ash’s neck. “Maybe I can, but it’s gonna suck without you.”

It’s Ash’s turn to nod now as she runs her hands through Ali’s hair. “It’s gonna suck and it’s gonna hurt like hell, but it’s going to lead us to forever, remember?”

“Forever and always,” Ali whispers, looking into Ash’s eyes. 

“Mmm hmm,” Ash murmurs. “And when this season is done, we can both be in our house, together, and I’ll have been a good little housewife and made it all perfect for you, and then you can move in and we can really start out life. Our life together, our future. We can get married, we can have lots of mini princesses and sharks and we’ll be happy forever. But we just need to get through this first, and really, when you look at it, one season is nothing compared to the rest of our lives. Right baby?”

“Right.” Ali nods, taking a deep breath as she reluctantly untangles herself from Ash, and they both stand up, knowing that they have to leave for the airport soon.

“Wait, I have something for you,” Ali remembers as she disappears into their bedroom and comes back with a simply wrapped gift. 

“It should fit in your case,” Ali smiles and motions for Ash to open it. 

Ash smiles back at Ali as she unwraps the present to find a solid black frame and a simple quote in cursive writing on a simple white background,

_I love you much (most beautiful darling)_

_more than anyone on the earth,_

_and I like you better that anything in the sky_

“Oh it’s beautiful Alex,” Ash smiles, kissing her girlfriend softly.

“I thought you could put it in the kitchen, or maybe on the shelf behind the couch and then whenever you see it you can be reminded of us, because it’s pretty much everything I feel about you.”

“God I love you so much Alex, so so much.” 

“Me too baby, me too,” and Ali sniffs as she tries to stop the tears.

“Remember though it’s not goodbye, it’s just I’ll see you soon.” Ali laughs at her girlfriend’s words, which sound almost childish but are still oddly comforting, and as she grabs her purse and keys, ready to take Ash to the airport, she presses another kiss to Ash’s lips. 

_It’s not goodbye, it’s just I’ll see you soon._


	2. I just found myself longing for this ridiculous heat, because the heat meant you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reunited in Orlando, for good.

Ash was fiddling with her hands as she watched the flight tracker on her phone. Ali’s flight was less than an hour away, and although she’d already moved most of her stuff in over the past few months, this was officially the day she’d be moving in. They’d be moving in, together, finally. Ash and Kyle had helped her move out of the old apartment in D.C and although there had been a few tears (on Ash’s side too, that apartment held some of her happiest, and saddest memories. Like the first time they attempted to bake cookies and ended up burning them and laughing as they ate the rest of the dough on the floor of the kitchen. The first time they’d argued hard enough for one of them to spend a night, well half a night, on the couch-that was Ash after an argument over chores, or shopping, or something equally as trivial and Ali had woken Ash up at 4am crying, promising they would never go to bed mad at each other again. The first game they’d won together on the Spirit they had been out with the team and come back early in the morning and Ash had pinned Ali up against the door, not being able to wait a second longer to taste her. The first time there had been a mention about marriage and kids had been on their couch, cuddled up trying to find something on Netflix to watch and Ali had been sleepy and warm and she’d murmured out how she wanted to do this forever, when they were married, when they were snuggled up on the couch with their babies, and Ash had kissed her soundly, promising they would do all of that and more.)

But Ash knew Ali was ready to start her life here, with her; she’d been telling her for the past few months, and whilst the announcement that she was to come to the Pride would drop soon, and there was bound to be tons of media and fan interest and whilst they were prepared for that, Ash was grateful they’d have a few weeks to settle in in the offseason, before they both had to jet off again for various engagements.

* * *

“Tomorrow baby, it’s tomorrow,” Ash had practically sang down the phone to Ali last night.

Ali laughed, “Mm hmm. You do know it’s not the first time I’ve stayed in our house right?”

It’s Ash’s turn to laugh now. “I  _know_ but it’s the first time you’ll be staying without having to leave again. The first time you can properly moan at me for not doing laundry for days and stealing your old Penn State t shirts to sleep in, as much as I hate doing that.”

“Whatever Ash, I know you love those shirts.”

Ash lets out a puff of air. “Like you haven’t done the same!”

 Ali giggles. “True, but they don’t smell like you anymore.”

“Well just think, tomorrow night you will once more have all of my clothes at your disposal, and you can sleep in whatever you want. I mean, preferably we’ll both be sleeping naked, but beggars can’t be choosers.”

“Oh trust me baby, neither one of us is going to be wearing clothes for a while.”

 Ash groans at this. “Oh that better be the case.”

“It will be, I promise,” Ali chuckles out. “Look I have to go now baby, I have to finish getting my stuff packed for tomorrow. I’ll see you soon, really really soon.” 

“See you tomorrow Alex. I love you.”

“I love you too, bye Ash.”

* * *

That was last night, and whilst Ali had phoned her briefly from the airport, she’d not really spoken to Ali since and so Ash’s hands were jittery now as she stood at the arrivals gate. It was like the first time all over again every time she saw Ali; her heart was beating too fast and her palms were sweaty, the butterflies going crazy. She alternated between tapping her fingers on her thighs and running her hands through her hair.

And then she saw her, dragging too much luggage as usual, her hair thrown up into a messy ponytail, wearing one of Ash’s hoodies and Ash is reminded of the first time she saw Ali at camp all those years ago. She was slightly late, the bus from the airport almost ready to leave and Ali had practically bounded into Ash, dragging a suitcase and a carry on bag that was probably too heavy behind her. 

“Oh my God I’m so sorry!” Ali had squeaked as she almost knocked Ash flying.

“No worries,” Ash had smiled as she turned and saw Ali’s face turn from tired to a smile, her eyes crinkling and her tongue peeking out from between her teeth, her stomach flipping and her heart speeding up.  _Oh no…_

“Kriegs!” She’d heard from behind her as Megan came clambering over to wrap Ali up in a hug. 

“Sweeping girls of their feet already Ash hey,” Megan had laughed and Ash had just winked, mostly at Ali, who blushed deeply.

“Hey, Ashlyn Harris,” Ash had introduced herself and  _holy shit_  Ali had smiled shyly as she mumbled out her name.

“Huh what was that mumbles?” Ash had questioned, searching Ali’s eyes.

“Ali. Krieger,” she’d laughed out, holding out her hand to Ash who’d taken in gently and shook it, feeling the jolt of electricity between them.

And that moment reminded Ash of now, of Ali moving her carry on further up her shoulder as she drags her suitcase. She doesn’t see Ash until she rounds the corner and looks up, and when she does, her face breaks out into one of the biggest smiles Ash has ever seen and her heart leaps, her own face breaking out into a grin. Ali seems to sigh, and the tiredness leaves her body as she pretty much powerwalks towards Ash, launching herself at her girlfriend who barely manages to stop Ali’s suitcase from creating a hazard for all the other passengers. Ali’s arms are wrapped around Ash’s neck, her face nuzzled into her as Ash hugs her tight.

“Welcome home baby,” Ash whispers as they break apart slowly, wordlessly taking Ali’s luggage and leading them to the car.

The journey passes in relative silence, Ali rubbing soft circles on her girlfriend’s thigh as they drive back to the house and as they pull into the drive, Ali smliles as she turns to Ash.

“Finally.”

Ash grins broadly as she’d grabs Ali’s luggage and unlocksthe door, Ali immediately throwing herself into Ash’s arms again, pressing their lips together. Ash moans into the kiss, her hands finding the soft skin of Ali’s underneath her hoodie as Ali’s hands run through Ash’s short hair. As they break apart Ash sighs.

 “I can’t believe you’re finally here, for good I mean. You don’t have to leave me again,” Ash breathes out as she places another kiss to Ali’s lips.

“God Ash, you have no idea how much and how long I’ve wanted to be here. Every time I came to visit I wished I could stay, but I always had to go back there, to our old home when all I could think of was our home here, our new home, our future. Our old apartment didn’t feel right anymore without you there with me. It felt old and empty, and lonely. I didn’t think I’d ever want to leave D.C, to leave the cold winters and the breezy Fall afternoons, but I just found myself longing for this ridiculous heat, because the heat meant you, and my whole body longed for you.”

 “Oh Alex, I know. I know we decorated this place together, chose everything together, but it’s always felt slightly offwithout you here with me. Coming home to our house, empty, there was always something slightly wrong with that. But now you’re here, and I don’t know really,” Ash just shrugs “I feel calmer, like everything is settled now, everything is right.”

Ali just nods her agreement. “It’s been a long season though,” she murmurs her hands still on the back of Ash’s neck, her lips finding the corner of Ash’s mouth.

“Too long,” Ash sighed back. “Here, let me show you something.”

She leads Ali over to the fridge and the calendar that’s hung up next to it.

“You’ve been counting down the days?” Ali asks, incredulously. “Since when? I’ve never seen this before.”

 “Since I moved without you. I always put it away when you came because I didn’t want to remind you how far away the time was, but marking each day off made me feel lighter somehow, because one day down meant one day closer to having you here with me forever.”

“God I love you Ash,” Ali smiles out, leaning back and looking into Ash’s eyes. “And see, we made it. It was never goodbye, it was just I’ll see you soon. 

Ash just smiles back, laughing softly at her girlfriend, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead, her heart full and happy and she realises that this is what life is about; it’s not about how successful you are, how much money you have, but it’s about the kind of person you are and how much you love. And with Ali by her side for now and forever, she finally feels like her life is complete. Forever and always.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this mini fic! If you have any prompts or anything for me, head over to harris-pride.tumblr.com and leave me a message!

**Author's Note:**

> I know this wasn't particularly long, mainly because it was just a short prompt on my blog, but part 2 is on its way ;)  
> Come say hi and if you liked this, or if you didn't (please don't be mean :( )  
> harris-pride.tumblr.com


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